First Priority

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving Day and during this weekend many of us have more than likely focused some of our time on what we are thankful for. If we did take the time to think about it there is so much to be thankful for! This weekend I have also been thinking about what people in general think of as valuable in life. If I were to ask what your values are likely you would have your own perspective. Because of our uniqueness they may be different, our upbringing and background can also shape those values.  When we know what our values are then we can determine our priorities. In general the top 3 priorities for people are: Family & Friends, Work and Money.  Over all I believe we all want to be loved, accepted, have success and be secure.  Security can come in different forms but the longing within is to have peace, to know that everything will be alright.  But how can we know that everything will be alright?

It is unfortunate but because times are tough and experiences in life are difficult there is certain apathy in the world. Many have feelings of giving up.  There are a very few percentage of people who will mention spirituality, faith or God as a priority for their lives and yet if they had a relationship with Jesus and if they trusted Him as a friend they would find that they would have the peace that they long for and their direction in life would be much more clear. Why do people not seem to care?  Is it a lack of understanding or knowledge, is a life experience that has made them grow cold, or is it really just apathy? Mark 12:30-31 (NIV) says “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. ‘The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. ‘There is no commandment greater than these.” There are other scripture verses that say it similarly in Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37 and Luke 10:27. This is a commandment of the Lord there is nothing more important than to Love God.

We certainly can’t put God as our priority in our own ability. It is a choice that we make when we ask God to forgive our sin and have Him become a part of our lives. We have freedom to choose what we believe, and how we live that out but it is the power of the Spirit in our lives that gives us the strength to put Him first in our lives. Over time, we experience His compassion, mercy, grace, and love for us, His hatred for sin, His holiness, and His righteousness. We cannot love someone we don’t know and spend time with, so having a relationship with Him should be our first priority. Those who pursue God and His righteousness, who take seriously the command to love Him above all else, are those who have a passion for the things of God. They are eager to study God’s Word, eager to pray, eager to obey and want to honor God in all things, and have a desire to share Jesus Christ with others. It is through these spiritual disciplines that their love for God grows and matures. Will you decide to make God first priority in your life?